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Tenkai (
Japanese: 天海, 1536–13 November 1643) was a Japanese
Tendai Buddhist monk of the
Azuchi-Momoyama and early
Edo periods. He achieved the rank of Daisōjō, the highest rank of the priesthood.
His
Buddhist name was first Zuifū (随風), which he changed to Tenkai in 1590. Also known as Nankōbō Tenkai (南光坊 天海), he died on 13 November 1643, and was granted the
posthumous title of Jigen Daishi (慈眼大師) in 1648.
Tenkai was at
Kita-in (then written 北院) in
Kawagoe in 1588, and became abbot in 1599. He was on the advisor of
Tokugawa Ieyasu, and served as a liaison between the
Tokugawa Shogunate and the
Imperial Court in Kyoto. One of his projects was the rebuilding of
Enryaku-ji, which had been devastated by
Oda Nobunaga. He also revitalized Kita-in, and changed the characters of its name to 喜多院. Nearing death in 1616, Ieyasu entrusted Tenkai with his last will regarding matters of his funeral and his posthumous name. Tenkai selected gongen rather than myōjin, and after death Ieyasu became known as Tōshō Daigongen.
There are several theories concerning his early life. Some fiction writers postulate that he was in actuality
Akechi Mitsuhide. It is not certain whether Mitsuhide died at the
Battle of Yamazaki or not, and some suppose that he survived and began a new life as the priest Tenkai.[citation needed]
Tenkai appears as the video game Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!. He is the overarching secondary antagonist and final boss.
In the game Sengoku Basara 3 and the anime
Sengoku Basara: The Last Party the character Tenkai is portrayed as a cryptic monk who speaks in riddles and wields twin scythes. As with the rumor above, Tenkai is actually a re-skinned model of Akechi Mitsuhide, from the game and anime's predecessor. As of the UTAGE upgrade of the third game, the series established both Tenkai and Mitsuhide as a same person.
In the video game Shin Megami Tensei IV Tenkai appears as a National Defense Divinity once the party reaches a later portion of Tokyo.
In the anime and light novels Mirage of Blaze, Tenkai's name has been mentioned in a crucial part of the story arc, being that an old incantation of his that he had invoked centuries ago would be the key for Lord Kagetora Uesugi and his team to stop their enemies in controlling the Feudal Underworld and the living world.
He appears in the mobile game
Fate/Grand Order as an antagonist of the event GUDAGUDA Imperial Capital Grail. He is truly
Akechi Mitsuhide and he quickly reveals his identity.
Tenkai appears in the games Nioh and Nioh 2, as both a Buddhist monk and a powerful
onmyōji that helps the protagonists of both games. As with most works of fiction involving Tenkai, his real identity is that of
Akechi Mitsuhide. In the games, his betrayal of
Oda Nobunaga was a result of being manipulated by the sequel's antagonist Kashin Koji, becoming the monk "Tenkai" to repent for his crimes.